The study refers the evaluation of the performance of a small chipper which uses an innovative cutting system based on a rotating disc with a series of frontal tubular knives. Tests has been performed to investigate the relationship between energy requirements, hourly production and type of processed material. The chipper was powered by an agricultural tractor equipped with a fuel flow meter, a torque meter and a shaft revolution meter to evaluate fuel consumption, power output and engine speed. The tests were performed on logs of different feedstock type (sweet chestnut, hybrid poplar and robinia). Each log was weighed and measured in length and average diameter. The tests were conducted processing medium size logs (0.07÷0.12 m of diameter, 0.12÷0.20 m of length and 2÷16 kg of weight) with a random sequence, one by one 35 logs for each type of feedstock. The analysis of the data collected during the tests pointed out that chestnut requires the highest net energy, in terms of average fuel consumption and average power required: 4.1 dmh and 15.4 kW. On the other hand poplar require the lowest average net energy, equal to 3.3 dmh and 12.2 kW. The net energy required by robinia wood are between the previous feedstock types: 4.0 dmh and 14.9 kW.
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